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Leishmania RNA Viruses in Leishmania of the Viannia Subgenus

Karyotype analysis of 69 strains of Leishmania belonging to three species of the Viannia subgenus originating from the southeastern and southwestern regions of Colombia revealed approximately 5.3-kb RNAs in four strains of L. braziliensis and also in the World Health Organization reference strain L. guyanensis IWHI/BR/78/M5313. The RNA element in this reference strain and in L. braziliensis strains isolated from cutaneous and mucosal lesions of four patients hybridized with RNA probes prepared from cDNA of the RNA virus present in L. guyanensis strain CUMC-1-1A (LRV1-1). These strains also contained an 80-kD protein that reacted with polyclonal antibody prepared against a recombinant fragment of the coat (capsid) protein of LRV1-1. In addition, another Colombian strain of L. braziliensis was found to contain an approximately 3.5-kb RNA that did not hybridize with LRV1-1 probes. Contrasting with the strains containing the 5.3-kb RNA, a total lysate of this strain did not contain material reactive with antiserum to the capsid protein fragment. All Leishmania containing LRV1-related viruses identified to date have originated in the Amazon River basin. Karyotype analyses and biological characterization of 17 clones obtained from the highly metastatic L. guyanensis strain 5313 revealed retention of the approximately 5.3 kb RNA in all clones and no segregation of the virus with the metastatic trait. The restricted distribution of LRV1-related viruses among some strains of L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis circulating in the Amazon River basin makes these elements potential epidemiologic markers.